ever since i started looking into minis all i have heard about is rust. how important it is to have no rust and how many problems rust causes... why is rust such an issue? i know people who have had their mini (with rust) for years and not had problems. they drive their cars frequently without problems... so if i am looking for a mini to drive/restore, not to showcar level but to something relatively nice, how important is rust? This might seem like a dumb question but i would appreciate any honest responses. thanks!

 

First off I'm no expert.

Rust is one of those things that can spread and spread with only a slight amount of warning. But once you have a big rust problem, it can be expensive to repair. Arrest any rust problem, however small, before it costs you big bucks.

On a mini in particular I would think rust is more of a problem b/c of all of the nooks that are present--that aren't easy to detect with the naked eye. Rust may also be more of a problem on a Mini, rather than on a current car, because of their age, and perhaps the gauge of steel used--I'm not sure about that last part, its just a thought.

 

also alot of the problems that minis have are in direct effect from the people who owned them prior (british).....nothing agains them, but there methods of taking car of a car is very minimal........most of the classic minis when they reach the states prob. have never had an oil change, just an example.....but yes rust can spread very quickly .......you dont want rust ....rust = metal is deterirating (sorry about the spelling)

 

http://www.minimania.com/web/SCatago...3/ArticleV.cfm



Many places on a Mini were never painted during assembly. Unfortunately, those places can lead to issues with the structure and safety of the car. (subframe mounting #11, etc) Most are hidden from view. Often there are ways to bodge the bodywork (wide coversills #9) and hide major problems intentionally. Sometimes bodged cars will look much better than another better car with rust showing.

That is why Mini owners always caution you to do a thorough inspection of any Mini with someone who knows the car. It'll save you a lot of grief and $$$ in the long run. My rule -> Always buy the best body shell you can afford!

Of course, I presently have the rustiest 64 Cooper S in my garage for resto.... But do as I say, not as I do.... Actually it is a rare 1071 S worthy of all the work, otherwise I'd find another shell.

 

I thought it was the holiest(as in HOLES) 64 Cooper as the rust has been removed...

 

OC: The most important thing to remember is rust can cause the car to fail structurally. In other words, you could be looking cool in your classic Mini one minute and looking pretty foolish when the rear end is dragging on the pavement because the subframe mounts rusted through. What rust you see on the surface is only the tip of the iceberg - there's much more you can't see lurking behind it. The #1 rule in classic British cars is: buy the absolute best you can afford.

Madoc

 

Yeah, same for all classics. I was shopping for "thing"s a while back and was advised to focus on the areas where the body mounts to anything structural. Mind you there are the parts available to replace ANYTHING on a Mini, but sometimes it's not worth it if you paid more than you ought to for one with structural rust issues.

 

just remember that when a sell says "rust free" it usually means that you are not paying for it.

the visible rust is only ten percent of what you'll find.

 

Well said El Profe!